Ahhh, brunch. The meal where anything goes. Can you have an omelet for dinner? Or a fish sandwich for breakfast? Nope, but you can have it all at brunch. I find that a brunch gathering is the best time to make banana bread. I’ve made this 2 different ways – one with chocolate chips and one without. Not only did the loaf with chocolate chips rise more but it was the superior tasting one. This bread is the perfect portable breakfast – it’s sweetened with only brown sugar (and lightly), contains no butter and uses 100% whole grain flour. I put every kind of spread on top, from cinnamon raisin peanut butter to regular butter. Butter was the best, but the bread was even better by itself. Make this recipe at least a day ahead of time, if possible, because it becomes more moist and delicious with time. And Happy National Peanut Butter Day everyone!
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (or more, to taste)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 cup skim milk (or almond milk)
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter w/ salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
100g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans (or muffin tins).
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, vanilla and egg.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
4. Split evenly between the two pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the pan and let them cool completely. Even better the next day. Yield: 2 loaves.
| Nutrition Facts |
|---|
| Serving Size 1/2'' thick slice Servings per Batch 36 |
| Amount Per Serving |
| Calories 100 |
Additional Info:
A few tips: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, don’t dig the cup into the bag. Doing so can result in using up to 40% more flour! Also make sure the bananas are very ripe, mostly brown on the outside or at least half covered in brown spots. To mash the bananas, simply place them in a bowl and use the back of a fork to crush them until a fine puree is achieved. Also, most people prefer a sweet banana bread than myself, so you may want to use at least 1 cup of brown sugar if not a bit more.
The original recipe comes from The Recipe Girl, I just modified it to suit my fancy.